Standard wiring practice for wiring buildings up to three stories, houses, modular homes, and other light frame structures is typically done within the walls of such structures. The wiring may be for power or signal, which includes telephone, cable, data and the like, and is typically interconnected to devices which are wall mounted in the interior surface of the structures to include switches, power and signal outlets, and in some instances, sensors and other devices. Present day practice has a variety of wall structures, including principally drywall, a gypsum board typically 1/2 or 5/8 inch thick, used essentially to resist the spread of fire; plywood and composition board for certain types of factory-built housing, typically 1/4 inch or 4 mm in thickness. These various surfaces may be covered with paint, light coatings of plaster, or wallpaper. In the construction of buildings, the wiring is typically rough wired to the various locations of devices in the wall with boxes installed on studs, the wiring pulled into such boxes, with holes made leading to the boxes through the wall covering and devices terminated and attached in a finish wiring step.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/618,766, filed Nov. 27, 1990, details a convenience electrical outlet assembly suitable for use in intelligent wiring systems which employs a bracket adapted to be stud mounted within a housing wall to facilitate a use with power and signal wires in a hybrid cable. Reference is made to such co-pending application and the teaching therein as further background of the present invention.
In general, devices are wall mounted through attachment to boxes within a wall during original construction. Retrofit plastic wall boxes use a plastic latch located on the exterior of the box to latch the box to the drywall. The latch is attached to a screw and is rotatable through 90.degree., engaging surfaces of the box in the latched and unlatched positions. Further, in add-on modifications to structures, the devices may be wall hung, attaching to a hole made in the wall and including clamping structures which clamp the device to the wall with covering face plates separately added thereafter by screws allowing the face plate to cover the hole and finish the installation of the device.
In such installations, the attachments of devices, including boxes or brackets and/or so-called mud rings which fit around the edges of holes and walls is through a clamping action axially through the wall effected by a screw or other fastener drawing the face plate toward the wall reacting with the box or bracket behind the wall. This makes the installation of devices in walls sensitive to wall thickness and wall variation as well as to critical alignment between apertures in wall plates, boxes, mounting brackets and the like. The practice further complicates the number of parts which must be purchased, handled, inventoried, and assembled on site or in the factory by craftsmen.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a faceplate for blind (from one side) mounting devices in walls of structures which includes, as an integral structural part thereof, the device served by the face plate and anchor means facilitating wall mounting in walls of different constructions, brackets or the like. A further object of the invention is to provide a wall plate device which may be preassembled with anchor means for ease of handling and installation in walls of different thicknesses and characteristics, including those utilizing brackets for mounting. It is yet a further object to provide an assembly, including wall plate, device, and anchoring means, minimizing the need for onsite assembly of fine parts. Furthermore, the anchoring means should permit angular alignment or adjustment of the wall plate.